Burning Up
by JERSIIIfied
Summary: Lucy loved Legally Blonde; she just never wanted it to happen to her. "When Loke decides to abandon their 5 year relationship and Lucy has to rediscover what it means to be a girl who dreamed". Set in the UK. Nalu, Gruvia, Gale, Jerza.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Language**

* * *

 **Lucy**

"Wendy! Have you seen my pink lip-gloss?!"

Lucy Heartfilia was a lucky girl. She had the best friends, the best hair, and the best boyfriend. She was going to attend Heartfilia University at the start of September, where she would major in Fashion Design and Management in one of the best departments in the country. Of course, it wasn't the University of Fiore, but her father discouraged her from moving so far south, although she did receive an offer from the oldest and most prestigious university in the world. She thought their collegiate system was archaic and unnecessary, too.

The only reason she would've ever opted to go to Fiore was her boyfriend of 5 years, Loke Leone. Loke was everything she'd ever hoped for in a guy, and she was lucky he had taken an interest in her all those years ago. They had met at a charity gala her mother had organised on behalf of her Billionaire father.

He was a rising star in the modelling industry, and he was there for a good cause. Loke was handsome, kind, charming, smart and her parents approved of him. Most importantly, he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Loke had refused to attend Heartfilia-U with her, with the Heartfilia family as its founders, and where Jude Heartfilia was chancellor. He was determined to achieve everything through his own merit (Lucy had ignore the smidgen of pain his insinuations had caused), and he had applied for Law at Fairy Tail College, University of Fiore.

Despite coming from a well off family, with his father as a CEO of LEO Inc., one of 12 major companies under the Heartfilia conglomerate, Loke wanted to become a barrister and help the people in need. Lucy swoons every time she hears him declare it to the world. A handsome _and_ compassionate guy. You don't see them every day.

And best of all, Lucy thinks Loke will propose to her at their 5 year anniversary dinner this evening, in the same place where they had their first date. Although she was only 18 and Loke was 20 (he took 2 years off after he'd finished college to travel the world and get work experience with some law firms his dad had connections in), she was certain he'd propose due to the impending distance between them. Lucy knew nothing could get in their way. Loke had only been back for a month since his trip around Europe, and he had been super nice when he'd gotten back. Secretive about his trip, but super nice otherwise. Lucy suspected it was because he'd spent most of the trip going to different jewellers in order to find her the perfect ring. She was _sooo_ lucky.

That's why she's going to make him feel lucky she was going to be his future wife tonight. She was going to blow him away with her new, custom made Burberry dress, as suggested by her pseudo little sister, Wendy Fernandes.

Said girl was helping her get ready, all the while reassuring her that Loke would love it, and Loke was a lucky guy. Although Wendy got along well enough with Loke, there were moments when Lucy had noticed Wendy grimacing at Loke. Hence, she understood Wendy's lack of encouraging engagement wishes. But there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't exactly force Wendy to like a person.

Juvia, Wendy's older sister currently studying at the very same Fairy Tail College Loke is going to attend in a month, more than made up for her little sister's lack of enthusiasm. Her phone had so many well wishes from the eldest Fernandes child, Lucy was struggling to organise her messages and check for any from Loke.

It was only after multiple frantic checks in her bag (making sure she had everything needed for such an important night) and after many last minute mirror checks that Loke had shown up. Looking dapper in a dark grey suit that moulded perfectly against his perfect muscles, holding the largest bouquet of roses Lucy had ever seen. Okay. He was definitely proposing tonight.

* * *

Loke was very sweet.

When he got to her house, he gave her the roses and gave her slow and tender kiss. He waved hello to Wendy before looking around the entrance curiously.

"Is uncle not in today?" he asked curiously, a weird gleam in his eye. Wendy noticed the slight shake in his hand, and Lucy noticed his nervous habit of twisting the rings around his fingers. The tell-take signs of nerves, and his unusually persistent search for her father fuelled her belief that tonight was the night.

Lucy gave Wendy an excited wave over her shoulder, as Loke ushered her out the house with an arm around her waist.

Lucy loved Loke and his little affectionate gestures. Loke was such a powerful man, with muscles that easily gleamed in the harsh lights of the various photography studios she's seen him captivate. His suit was well fitted, with expensive material that seemed to make the golden undertones of his hair shine beautifully in the lights surrounding the Heartfilia estate. Loke wore his signature scent, an expensive but subtle cologne, with sandalwood and Italian bergamot that enhanced the personal Loke musk the Lucy loved to smell on her sheets whenever he stayed over. She loved him.

She loved this man with all her heart. Loke helped her get through the difficulties of her mother's passing. His warmth and his scent surrounded her and comforted her as she wept through the night. He was her pillar, her support.

He's the man that confronts strangers about the sexist, perverted comments they make about Lucy and her chest. The man who brought her home, played her favourite movie and made her the special hot chocolate her mother used to make when something upset her. She was lucky to spend the rest of her life with him. She was lucky he chose her.

He drove them to The Lucy, the restaurant her mother had opened all those years ago in her namesake. It used to be her favourite place to eat with her mother, and now it's her favourite place to eat with her beloved. The ride was mainly silent, as Loke put the top down in his car, allowing Lucy to admire the night view. Looking up at the stars reminded her of when Loke used to take her up to the hill near the Leone estate, and he would teach her about the constellations and the stars and all of the universe. If he didn't take up law, and he wasn't under pressure from his family to pursue an "appropriate" career, Lucy truly believed Loke would have spent his life teaching his passion and knowledge to the world. It was such a beautiful night.

And when their song came on the radio, Lucy felt tears in her eyes. She couldn't be any happier. Lucy gently placed her hand on his, where it was resting upon the gear stick. When he turned to look at her, she smiled at him, her eyes bright as she mouthed the lyrics to the song as it played in the background, hoping to portray the emotions she couldn't express otherwise.

 _Give your all to me_  
 _I'll give my all to you_  
 _You're my end and my beginning_  
 _Even when I lose I'm winning_  
 _'Cause I give you all of me_  
 _And you give me all of you_

His gaze burned through her very soul.

She wanted this. And she hoped that would be enough.

* * *

 **Wendy**

Her fists clenched and her expression darkened as soon as the door shut behind the couple.

She hated this.

She hated keeping her silence.

She hated giving Lucy false hope.

But what could she say? _Lucy, I have no empirical evidence to support any of the following claims, but Loke is not going to propose to you tonight. I know that his increased affection over the months since his return is a sign of guilt. Loke played you. He probably slept his way through Europe, and he's been trying to make it up to you since. But suddenly, a few weeks ago, he stopped trying._

 _It's like he just gave up. He gave up on trying to ease his own pathetic guilt. He gave up on you, Lucy. Why can't you see that?_

 _Luce, he's going to break things off with you very soon. And I don't know what you're going to do._

 _What could anybody do?_

 _You loved him too much to love yourself like you needed._

 _You clung to his comfort, to his affections because he was the only one there to help you through your mother's death. No one else was there for you. You couldn't have gone to your father. He would have told you to stop being weak and step up to your responsibilities as the Heartfilia heiress. You had no other choice._

 _I couldn't be there for you. I was too young. I didn't know what to do. We weren't that close then. There were so many reasons, reasons that I wish I had disregarded in order to save you from the hell you put yourself through._

 _Because you don't deserve this. You deserve to be saved from this wreck of a relationship that has gone on for five years. Lucy, I know Loke like you don't. You're too blinded by your love for him. Love he doesn't deserve. Everyone sees it but you, Lucy. Why?!_

 _All those sweet and loving gestures you remember him for, the ones you founded your love on. They're lies. Lies._

 _His love for you faded years ago._

 _All that's left, all that's kept him around…_

 _Is fear._

* * *

 **You may be wondering why Wendy sounds so mature. In this fic, Wendy is only a year younger than everyone else. And although shy as a child, I would think that she grew to be strong and independent considering the environment she is in, and the people she surrounds herself with.**

 **Please R and R. Feedback improves stories and inspires authors.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Language**

* * *

 **Loke**

Loke loved her… but he didn't want to marry her.

He used to think he loved her. He convinced himself into it. He let his dad convince him into it. He let money convince him into it.

What better way to expand the family business than by marrying the daughter of Heartfilia conglomerate?

When he had realised how blinded he was by his father's greed, Lucy had already come to love him. That was the year Layla died and Lucy needed him more than ever. Before then, he had been looking to find a way to end it, to not lead her on. But he couldn't do it to her. Not then.

So he had to keep pretending to be _in love_ with her. But truth was, he loved Lucy like the family his dad never was.

It was fucked up, obviously. They had sex, they made out, they were affectionate. But in his mind, Loke convinced himself that this was the only way he could love her right now. As a lover.

Because Lucy was there for him as much as he was there for her. They were each other's best friends, each other's confidants.

It was so fucked up.

Loke was so fucked up.

Loke was so _fucked_.

He thought he could keep this up for the rest of his life. His dad told him to. Or he was going to be cut off, and his opportunities destroyed. That he would get another… _disciplining_. It was difficult to hide such things in the modelling industry.

It was so fucked up.

He tried to be nice to Lucy; give her comfort whenever she needed. But he was a natural playboy at heart. At first glance, he may seem like a suave expert romantic. But beyond that first impression, with the sweet words and roses, all that remained was uncertainty. That's why he used to just have sex a lot.

Because he didn't have a romantic bone in his body.

So… he always took romantic advice from Jellal. Jellal literally told him what to do half (most) the time. He told Jellal everything. All the time. Every little thing that happened. Lucy didn't know that an unfamiliar outside source knew most of her deepest secrets.

Of course, Jellal didn't see anything bad about it. After all, he just assumed (correctly) that Loke was terrible at the romantic gestures. He was naïve in that way; and Jellal was a hopeless romantic. He thought he was just playing innocent little matchmaker.

But it was terrible. Loke knew. Wendy knew.

As the only other person who knew that Loke was taking advice from her big brother, Wendy told him all the time:

 _You're lying to her, Loke_.

 _What the fuck were you thinking?_

 _This is deceit. She won't know you for who you really are. She'll think you're this romantic guy with these gigantic gestures._

 _Worst of all, she'll think you're this guy with all these sweet, thoughtful gestures. You know Lucy will only fall deeper._

 _You're doing more damage. You're not actually being_ _ **nice**_ _, or some fucked up idea you have in your head._

 _Stop fucking her over, Loke._

Wendy obviously hated him. With good reason. But she was immune to begging. So he got on his knees and asked her not to tell Lucy (her _best friend_ ) until he could. So yeah. Intense hatred from Wendy.

Technically, Lucy fell in love with Jellal. Well, she loved Loke. But she fell in love with Jellal's actions. Technically. Told you, _fucked up_.

That time he bought her the roses she loved so much? He only knew what they were because Jellal told him it was an essential, and pestered him until he asked her. Jellal even told him a great, subtle way of asking her. Take her to some botanical gardens. It always gets people talking about plants and their favourites/the prettiest ones. That man was a genius.

Also, that time he brought her the hot chocolate her mum used to make? Jellal.

That time he took her to her favourite childhood theme park? Jellal.

The promise ring when she was unsure about Loke's affections? Jellal.

That time he sneaked her away from her bodyguards to see the German market, because she's never been before as her father had deemed it unsafe? Fucking. Jellal.

Of course, some things Loke thought of himself. But he thought about them like maths problems, puzzles to solve. Very rarely had he ever thought of something meaningful, on the spot. He's just wasn't that type of person.

But whenever someone asked Lucy what made her fall in love? She'd answer that it was his thoughtfulness. How he'd _instantly_ know what to do when she was upset. That he was _spontaneous_ , and he made her experience things she'd never done before. That he was brave, _courageous_. That he had these grand gestures. And that he had these small ones.

It was a wreck.

This whole relationship was built on lies.

 ** _Fuck_**.

* * *

 **Lucy**

Lucy was a simple girl who wanted the simple things.

Of course, what she considered to be simple, many regarded as unnecessarily ostentation, considering her ridiculously privileged upbringing. It was the way she was raised.

So when Loke looked nervous all through dinner, constantly looking around as if to assess his surroundings, Lucy couldn't wait for _the_ moment. She didn't know whether to act shocked or whether she would cry like all the girls in the youtube videos. But she knew she would be ecstatic, and she knew what her answer would be. _Yes_. And that's all that mattered.

So when they main course came and went, and they awaited their dessert, Lucy froze when Loke gather her hands in his.

This was it. This was the moment. _Her_ moment.

She thought he was going to do the cliché and put the ring in her dessert or wine glass (but despite his lack of originality, she would've been touched either way). She could already imagine their wedding.

There would be roses (her favourite) and the smell would permeate the ceremony as they declared their undying love for each-

"-Lucy, I think we should break up-" Lucy tensed, and Loke flinched as he felt her hands freeze in between his. But he persevered. He knew there was no point in beating around the bush. Lucy deserved this. She deserved his explanation. "-I know you probably didn't expect this, but I needed to tell you before-"

Lucy suddenly grasped his hand in hers, her soft hands clammy and harsh as she gripped his hands in a painful hold. "Break up… You mean a break, right? Until you settle into uni. Or a break while you focus on your education. I can wait 4 years. I can wait. I can wait that long. I've been waiting for this for 18 years. I can… I can…"

She looked at him with painful desperation in her eyes. His gaze was begging him to agree. Her cheeks were already stained with tears, and there was an uncomely flush to her face. Loke had never seen the usually dignified heiress look so… broken. So pitiful.

It was then and there that Loke knew he couldn't lie to her anymore. "Lucy, I can't… I have to… We have to end this. I can't… I can't do this anymore. To you. For you. For us. For me"

Loke expected her to scream and shout. Demand for an explanation and want to hurt him.

But she didn't.

Slowly, she grabbed her things and walked out the door.

She didn't look back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Language**

* * *

 **ONE YEAR LATER**

* * *

 **Cana**

Cana Alberona had never thought of attending Fiore University.

Renowned as the best in the world, with elitism and nobility rooted in its very foundations, Cana had never considered the possibility of Fiore.

She was an average student with average grades. She was also a raging alcoholic when she wasn't at home (and sometimes, even when she was at home).

But when her best friend had told her that Fiore _literally_ interviewed anyone that applied, and had some weird hidden criteria that allowed people with average grades in, she decided to go for it before her courage left her.

So she had applied for engineering (because why not? She liked maths and science), got an interview, had a laugh with the professor who interviewed her, and got asked some pretty fucking terrible questions about circular motion in a roller coaster and some physics bullshit. Needless to say, she cried after the interview and drank her worries away in the few days that followed.

But lo and behold, a month later, her acceptance letter came through. They expected higher grades than what her teachers expected of her, but she went for it anyway. There was an 8% acceptance rate and her teachers called her crazy for considering turning it down ( _she didn't want to disappoint herself_ ) and there were plenty of congratulations (amongst stern and bitter greetings from the over achievers who didn't receive offers), as if she'd just become the Prime Minister.

Cana suspected some weird future predicting witchcraft was being used here, because she, with her average grades, did end up getting her predicted grades.

So here she was. First day of university at the greatest, oldest, most successful university in the whole entire world. She felt sick. And it wasn't from a terrible hangover for once.

She felt like this monumental moment was going to catch up with her soon, and she was going to have a serious freak out (like seriously, she didn't expect this), but for now, she felt numb.

Literarily. She couldn't move her legs, but her arms were starting to hurt from the amount of shit she was holding in her arms (she brought a lot of clothes, but she didn't want to make many runs back to the car). Her parents had gone ahead with the heavier essentials (like the cute little fridge she got on offer), so she was stuck on her own for now.

"Excuse me, are you alright?"

Cana blinked rapidly, her eyes finding the person who had spoken to her. It was a cheerful looking blonde with huge doe brown eyes, and even bigger boobs. Cana wondered how she could walk straight.

"Are you headed to Fairy Tail as well?" Big-breasted-blondie asked, and Cana finally noticed the large Louis Vuitton suitcase she was totting behind her.

"Yes…?" The brunette answered carefully, unsure of her answer. She was going to Fairy Tail, right? Man, she was really out of it.

"Great!" the girl cried happily, grabbing Cana's elbow to guide her towards the ancient building in front of them as she introduced herself and interrogated Cana on her life.

Cana had a weird headache.

 _Fucking hell_ , she was really out of it. She realised how unusual she must have looked, standing with her mouth open in front of the building as people milled around her. Other students were obviously moving in as well, as loads of people had their hands full with luggage and other miscellaneous items.

Fairy Tail College was a large, towering building with its name emblazoned proudly above the main gates and a large bell at the peak of the building. The building was tall and obviously ancient, but not in the way that Cambridge and Oxford were. There was a certain homey feeling to this college, a contrast from the grand architecture of the archaic OxBridge colleges.

Fairy Tail was also one of the only two colleges in the country with its own pool. But Sabertooth College had nothing on Fairy Tail (although she was obviously biased).

The girl (Lucy, she thought the girl had said her name was) was still there, talking to her about how excited she was for Fairy Tail, considering it was one of the biggest, and obviously one of the best colleges in Fiore. They managed to make their way inside, and Cana was stunned.

Outside, the streets were warm and the many foot and bike paths allowed less cars to travel through the streets of Fiore. The sun was bright for early September, and the multiple trees and large green parks surrounding the river made Fiore a beautifully small and pedestrian university town.

But the inside of Fairy Tail was enchanting.

It didn't have the grandiose of Sabertooth, or the quiet elegance of Lamia Scale (Cana had to say it was the complete opposite), but Fairy Tail looked so comfortable and welcoming. With its great hall, with the bar and canteen, Cana could see that it was the social hub of the college. There were already loads of students (and even some professors) lounging around, probably taking a break from the tedious moving process, or having moved in earlier in the week. The high ceiling and the muted browns and greens complemented the earthy feel of the interior design and paintings that decorated the grand hall.

The hall looked like it was capable of fitting close to 500 people. No wonder Fairy Tail also had one of the largest campus in the University. The student accommodation was in a separate building, and even this main building accommodated the swimming pool, the gym, the offices and the library. Nothing looked _old_ , probably because everything was so vibrant and bursting with life. It was completely different from what Cana expected of such a prestigious university. She was just a small town girl.

She felt like she was having one of those "in awe, can't move my feet" sort of moments. Thank god Lucy pulled her away from where she was gaping at the main hall. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself while she was still sober.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT A/N:**

 **I'm sorry for fucking up the the chapters. I kept on merging them together before realising how unusual the chapters looked.**

 **If you didn't read it already, I'd recommend READING THE END OF CHAPTER 2, because** **I added the "breakup" to the old chapter.**

 **Please Review or PM me with any general comments or constructive criticism. I like improving my writing style and hearing from you guys.**

 **Here's the new chapter to make up for how much I fucked up. Thank you.**


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